An UnWanted Love
by mme toffee
Summary: When Jae is thrust into an unfamiliar world, she is unsure of what to do with her torn life. That is, until someone agrees to show her the ropes, and possibly more.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Jae Collins sat cross legged in front of the burned building. She dropped her head and let what was left of her singed hair fall in front of her face, creating a dark brown veil.

"Jae…," he called.

She knew she shouldn't go, but she stood up and started walking towards the park near her home.

"Jae…," again he spoke her name, drawing her towards him.

She started to walk into the trees. Why shouldn't she go to him? Her family was missing. He controlled her friends. _He's won_, she thought to herself.

"Jae…," the voice sounded closer.

She forgot everything she was thinking and started to spin around wildly looking for him. Each shadow made her heart jump with hope, and with fear.

"What am I doing?" Jae whispered to herself. She sat down and leaned against a nearby tree.

She closed her eyes to think, _I'm lost in Ward Park, my family's M.I.A., my friends are controlled by HIM, I don't even know who HE is, AND I can't trust anyone!_

At some point during her mental rant Jae started crying. Noticing the tears Jae tried to stop herself, but instead started to really cry and scream until she wore herself out and fell asleep.

"Jae! I was worried sick about you," someone shouted running up to the tree Jae was lying against.

Jae blinked and mumbled sleepily.

"Logan, Gregg, Romane! Come here! I found her!"

"Shhh," Jae murmured into her own arm, still mostly asleep.

"What's wrong with her, Gaia?" Logan whispered staring worriedly at Jae's unconscious figure.

The man who had been calling Jae's name the night before silently came up behind the four unnoticed and, one by one, placed a hand on their shoulders putting them under his control. They stood still as statues side by side, staring blankly ahead. No emotion was played out on their faces.

The man went over to Jae and stroked her face gently, making her twitch in her sleep. "Shh. It's okay. I'm here."

At this Jae shot up into a sitting position and grabbed the hand that was on her cheek. Her eyes were wide and for a moment she seemed frazzled by her surroundings, but, in a moment, she collected herself and fixed a glare on the gaping man whose wrist she had a death grip on.

"Who are you?" Jae hissed through her teeth. The man simply gawked at her. "Who are you?" Jae repeated louder, focusing now on her friends who were frozen in place. She threw the man's arm down and walked over to Logan.

"Logan! LOGAN! LOGAN!" she shouted his name again and again with no response. Panic rising up in her she ran from person to person screaming at them and shaking them, but all they did was stare straight ahead. Giving up, she turned to the man who had stood up and brush the dirt and leaves off his pants.

"What did you do?" she said, sending another glare in his direction. She already had an idea about what he had done to her friends.

The man composed himself and said, "Which question do you want to know the answer to first?"

Jae was not in the mood for jokes. She picked up a branch and ran towards the man.  
"Stop her!" he yelled. Quickly Logan and Gregg grabbed Jae and slightly lifted her off the ground. She kicked and flailed her arms half heartedly, not wanting to hurt her friends.

"Your friends are fine. They are just under my control. They'll be fine when I leave. They'll just be a little confused and think that they were asleep," he walked closer to where Jae was being held, "I'm Roland, to answer your first question."

"You're horrible," Jae spat, "Just leave me alone!" She was on the verge of tears. She wanted her friends back to the way they were, she wanted her family back, but maybe that was wishing for too much.

"Alright," Roland said and started to walk away. Her friends remained still and Jae began to get worried. She was about to call out to Roland to tell him her friends were not okay, but right then Logan and Gregg dropped her, but remained standing like statues. Suddenly, Jae realized how tired she was and she curled up to sleep right where she was.

Jae was awakened by Logan and Gaia picking up her upper body and Romane picking her up by her feet. Logan and Gaia threw her, not very gently, over Gregg's shoulder and the group began to walk. Romane came up next to Jae and handed her a note. She decided not to read it because her mind was still too clouded with sleep and fatigue.

Eventually the sunrise woke her up enough that she decided to read the crumbled piece of paper in her left hand.

_My Dear Jae,_

_Sorry to wake you. You look like you could've slept much more, but there will be time to sleep later. Right now, I think it's time that we met formally and had a talk. _

_Roland_

Jae closed her fist around the piece of paper and let it drop to the ground. They had been walking for nearly half an hour and Gregg seemed to be getting tired. She tried to suggest that she could walk on her own, but no one paid any attention to her. She gave up and closed her eyes, relaxing into Greggs shoulder. The rocking of walking eventually lulled her to sleep. It seemed for only a moment though, because immediately after she drifted off, she was being set down on the ground in a clearing in the forest. Why they had walked for nearly an hour to show up in a spot identical to where she was baffled her. Romane and Gaia remained next to her, but Logan and Gregg moved back to the edge of the clearing. Jae sat there for a while, but Roland didn't show up, so she turned onto her side and closed her eyes hoping to fall asleep before he could arrive, but unfortunately Roland jumped down out of a tree before she had even gotten comfortable.

"Hello there," Roland said, bending down to look Jae in the eye. Jae sat up and Roland stood up straight.

"You said you wanted to talk, so spit it out! Oh! And by the way, my friends didn't wake up when you left! LIAR!" At this point Jae spit on him and turned around. She started walking out of the clearing, but a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and she stood still for a minute before collapsing backward into Roland's arms, completely asleep.

"Poor girl," Roland mumbled before standing her back up and snapping her fingers to bring her back to consciousness. "Are you ready to stop yelling and listen to me?" he stated, the frustration he had been holding back seeping into his voice.

Jae nodded. She was starting to become afraid. She was realizing how powerful he was, and she was scared.

Realizing what he'd done, Roland took a soft step forward and tentatively reached his hand out. Jae walked backwards, trying to keep the distance between them, but ended up walking into a tree. She backed up against the tree as far as she could and darted her eyes back and forth wildly.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you. Come on," Roland held out his hand for Jae to take. Jae stayed where she was, frozen. Roland let his hand drift back to his side. "Okay. Well, you ask questions and I'll give you answers. But don't run off. I'll catch you."

At this Jae relaxed. "Why are you doing this to me?" Jae asked, on the verge of tears. She was tired and this was almost too much.

"Because I love you," Roland replied, "I've loved you since I first saw you at the pizza shop on Hart street with your friends." He gestured towards Romane, Gaia, Logan, and Gregg.

"What's wrong with them?" Jae whimpered, "You said they'd be okay when you left."

"They will be, but I want someone to watch over you while I'm gone. This is the only reliable way I know to watch you. I thought you would be more comfortable if it was your friends," he looked down sheepishly.

"Well, it doesn't. Leave them alone please. Where did you go, anyway?"

Roland clapped his hands and the four of them walked off into the trees. "Where are they going?" Jae asked, concerned.

"I sent them home. Just like you asked." Roland looked up at her for forgiveness, but Jae was to busy watching her friends walk home to notice. "They'll be fine. They'll wake up in their beds and think it was nothing but a dream."

Jae turned her attention back to Roland, who had unconsciously inched closer to her. She stepped around him and walked into the middle of the clearing. "Who are you? What are you? How did you do that?" Jae started shouting, gesturing wildly. She was near hysterics.

Roland took two steps towards her wanting to hold her and comfort her, but he stopped himself. He wasn't sure how she would react to that.

"I'm Roland. I'm, what your society would call, a vampire. And if you're okay with the last thing I just said I'll explain how I was able to control your friends."

Jae sunk down to the ground, pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, tucked her head down, and started crying. Roland walked over and took a seat a couple feet in front of her. He let her cry for a little while.

"Jae, are you alright?" Roland asked real concern in his voice.

"Mm hmm," Jae responded nodding her head slightly.

"Will you please look at me?"

"Nn nhhn," she shook her head.

"Why not?" Roland asked, getting very worried now.

"'Cause I'm scared." Jae murmured into herself, just loud enough that Roland could hear her.

"I won't hurt you. Please. Just look up at me and tell me that you're alright," Roland put his hand on Jae's neck, and she didn't move away from it.

"It's too much, too much, too much," she whimpered peeking up from behind her knees. She inched closer to Roland, who wrapped her in a hug and rocked her to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Jae woke up in a pair of cold arms. She let out a long sigh and shuddered. She bent her knees towards her chin to warm herself up. A soothing hand started to rub circles into the middle of her back. Fighting off the fog of sleep, she straightened her back, stretched her muscles and sat up. Realizing whose hand was on her back she flew up and ran into the forest. She kept running, pushing herself forward despite how tired she was. Too terrified to turn around, she didn't notice Roland's quick, silent approach. He scooped her up and carried her back to the clearing.

"I'll only put you down if you promise you won't run off again. Okay?"

Jae nodded her head; she was still too tired to make any noise. Roland gently placed her on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Roland paused for a minute, "Is there anything I could get you? A glass of water, maybe?"

Jae shook her head and looked up at him. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Please, just trust me." He wanted to touch her, just to make her trust him until she got to know him, but he stopped himself. Jae started to relax, letting her shoulders drop and her legs spread out. Her eyes, though, were still wide as she looked up at Roland, who was still standing. Roland lowered himself to the ground slowly, as not to scare her, so that they would be on the same level.

Jae let out a nervous laugh, "Um, what's your name, again?" The laughter stopped abruptly so she could judge Roland's reaction.

"It's Roland," he smiled to let her know that he wasn't upset.

Jae started to loosen up now. Her eyes, instead of darting around wildly, were fixed on his face. "Um, about last night…Sorry about that. And thank you." she said with a smile.

"It's fine. It was no problem," he responded, a smile growing on his lips as well.

"So…," Jae trailed off, not knowing where to go with the conversation.

"Well, why don't we get the Q&A out of the way?" Roland proposed.

Jae paused, unsure, "Are you really a vampire?" she whispered, leaning towards him so she could be heard.

"Mm hmm. Yes and no. I am, but my kind doesn't follow all the myths that you've heard," Roland replied confidently.

"Are my friends okay? What happened to them last night?" Jae asked as her heart rate accelerated because of her anxiousness.

"They're fine. Relax. I thought that you would like it better if your friends were watching you, rather than some random stranger," Roland looked ashamed again.

"But what happened?" Jae asked, more curious than upset.

"What do you mean?" Roland asked, avoiding the question.

"Why did I go into the forest? And why were my friends there?" Jae said, gaining confidence.

"Your friends went into the forest to look for you because you didn't meet them for dinner, like you had planned. Because your friends were there, I used them to watch over you while I was gone," Roland explained.

"How did you do it, though?" Jae asked, intrigued.

"It's something that I've always been able to do. I just," Roland paused, not sure if he should continue. Jae looked at him expectantly, "put my hand on their shoulder, like this," he placed his hand on Jae's right shoulder gently, "and think about what I want to happen."

Jae let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and closed her eyes blissfully. A warm smile spread across her face while Roland's hand rested on her shoulder. He slowly removed his hand and Jae's eyes opened.

"Wow," she whispered, and quietly laughed.

Roland smiled, knowing that she was starting to warm up to him.

"So, you never answered my first question." Jae trailed off suggestively. Roland didn't take the hint, "Why did I go into the forest in the first place?"

"Oh. That," Roland looked down, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "I wanted to talk to you somewhere private."

"But how?" Jae asked, getting frustrated by all of his beating around the bush. Roland still looked silently at the forest floor. "How?" Jae repeated louder this time.

"I heard you! I'm just trying to figure out the best way to answer that question," Roland said never letting his eyes wander from the spot he was focusing on the ground. "It's sort of the same way that I showed you before. But it's different. It's," he paused, unsure of how to continue, "I don't know how to explain it, but it's really the same idea as what I said before."

"I think I understand. Kind of," Jae stopped to prepare herself for the next topic, "Do you drink blood?"

Roland laughed at this. He stopped himself abruptly when he saw the horror played out on Jae's face. "Yes, I do. But, I don't kill people if that's what your thinking," Roland stated. Jae still looked horrified. Roland tried to figure out what was troubling her. "I don't change them into vampires, either," Roland said, hoping that would satisfy her. She still looked worried. "What's wrong? You look stressed," he stated leaning closer to her.

"If you don't kill them, than what happens?" Jae asked, her eyes were wide again. Roland stretched out his hand to calm her, but she crawled away from it on her hands and knees.

"I just drink enough to survive, and then I let them go. They're fine afterwards. They don't even remember anything," Roland said soothingly.

"Okay," Jae responded shakily.

"What's wrong?" Roland asked. Jae still looked panicky.

"Am I here just so you can drink?" Jae asked quietly.

"You think I'd go to all this trouble, just so I could drink you? You think I'd have your friend carry you all the way here, just so I could drink you? You think I'd lull you into this forest, just so I could drink you?" Roland was nearly screaming now. He stood up, "You think I'd do all that, just so I could drink you?" Roland walked towards where Jae was cowering. "Do you?" Roland bent down and stuck his face right near Jae's menacingly.

"I don't know," Jae moaned. She pulled her knees into her chest, put her head into her arms, and started crying. "I don't know, I don't know. I don't know anything about you or anything!" she wailed, "Don't be mad at me! Don't hurt me, please!" She moved her arms to cover her head as best as she could.

Roland took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper. You don't know any better. That's just a sore spot with me," he said gently. "Please don't cry. It breaks my heart," he said, sadness in his voice. Jae kept crying. Roland went down on his knees and inched closer to her. Jae looked up a little and moved away from Roland quickly. "I won't hurt you. Please don't be afraid," he pleaded.

Jae mumbled something into herself. "What did you say?" Roland asked anxiously.

"Promise?" she repeated louder.

"Of course," Roland said forcefully.

"Pinky swear," Jae said and held out her pinky.

"Pinky swear," Roland agreed and softly wrapped his pinky around hers and shook it up and down once before releasing it.

Jae lifted her head so that her chin was on her knees. She set her eyes on Roland. "So, what rumors about vampires ARE true?" she raised her eyebrows in a way to let him know that all was forgiven.

"Well," Roland smiled. He was much more comfortable with this topic, "We drink blood, we are super fast, super strong, and we can go out in the sunlight." He stopped and thought and tried to think if there was anything he had forgotten, "Oh. And, all vampires can do the shoulder type things that we talked about before."

"Really?" Jae asked. Roland nodded. "How strong are you?"

"This strong," Roland responded. He walked over to a nearby tree and ripped off a branch the size of Jae's legs put together.

"Whoa," Jae paused in awe, "How fast are you?"

So quickly that Jae couldn't even see his movements, Roland appeared in front of her. "That fast," Roland said with a smile.

"Wow." Jae stayed silent for a long time, staring off into space.

After a while Roland started to worry. "Jae?" There was no response. "Jae?" he repeated a little louder. "Jae?" he said again.

"Yes?" Jae responded, looking a little dazed.

"Are you okay? You seem a little spacey," Roland commented.

"Yeah, it's just a lot to take in," Jae muttered.

"Would you like me to take you home?" he offered.

"I don't know where home is anymore," Jae stated, on the verge of tears again.

"It's okay. Do you want to go over to a friend's house? Or, you could come home with me."

"I'll go call Gaia," Jae started walking out of the clearing in the direction she thought she had come. She walked for a while feeling like someone was following her. "If you're going to follow me you might as well just walk with me," Jae called out loudly.

"Alright," Roland said suddenly. He came up behind her shockingly fast.

Jae let out a short gasp, but quickly made her face become neutral. She started walking, again, in silence.

After a short amount of time Roland broke the silence, "How did you know I was following you?"

"You know that feeling you get when someone's following you?" Jae paused to see if Roland was following her train of thought. He nodded, "Yeah, well I just guessed it was you," Jae finished.

They stayed in silence for a while until Roland, once again, broke the silence, "It's a long walk. I could carry you, if you want."

"No it's fine. It can't be that long. These woods aren't that big," Jae responded.

Roland tried again, "You did walk a long way to get to the clearing, if you remember."

Jae's temper flared at this. "I didn't walk!" she spat, "I was carried against my will!" She stopped walking to glare at Roland.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking ashamed.

"What ever," Jae said, clearly still upset, and continued walking.

The two of them emerged from the forest approximately half an hour later. They hadn't talked for the rest of the way there.

Jae pulled a quarter out of her front pocket and walked over to the pay phone. She dialed the familiar number quickly, pulling the phone up to her ear.

"Gaia, can I spend the night at your place?" Jae said immediately into the phone.

"Not tonight. My mom's freaking out because I didn't come home when I said I would last week," Gaia said slightly annoyed, slightly apologetic.

"It's fine. It's what ever. I'll just call Romane or someone," Jae said, not at all upset.

"'Kay, talk to you later," Gaia said happily.

"Bye," Jae said right before she hung up the phone. She turned to Roland, "Well, I have no place to stay tonight," Jae said, annoyed. She walked over and sat down on the empty bench by the bus station. Roland took two large steps towards her and sat down very close to her. Shocked by the closeness Jae stood up and started pacing and running her hand through her hair.

"Would you like to spend the night with me?" Roland offered quietly as he watched her walk back and forth quickly.

"Oh God. Oh God," Jae muttered to herself, closing her eyes briefly.

"Would you like to spend the night with me?" Roland repeated louder.

"What?" Jae's eyes shot open and flashed to Roland, who was now standing directly in front of her, blocking her path.

"Would you," he paused to be sure she was listening, "like to," he paused again, "spend the night with me?" he finished.

"Um," Jae said and started pacing again. "I don't know. You're still kind of a stranger."

"I understand that, but you don't seem to have many other options," Roland offered.

"Fine. Whatever. How bad could it be?" Jae admitted and tuned to face him, "So let's get going. It's getting dark."

"Alright. Follow me," Roland said and started walking towards the park again. Jae followed silently thinking he was going to change course soon. But, when he walked into the trees, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Aren't you coming?" Roland asked walking back to where she was standing.

"Why are we going into the park?" Jae asked suspiciously.

"I was going to run you to my house. Okay?" Roland eyed her playfully.

"Yeah, I guess," Jae said nonchalantly. She walked past him and kept going into the forest.

Roland waited until she was far enough into the trees that no one would see her, he looked behind him to make sure no one was around, and then he took off at full speed into the forest. He came up behind her and scooped her up into his arms without pausing for a moment. She let out a brief shriek and clung to his jacket with a tight grip.

"It's okay. I'm not going to drop you. Relax," Roland said, looking down at her and smiling. Her grip loosened a bit and she closed her eyes and settled into him. "You can go to sleep if you want. It's been a long day," Roland offered, pulling her closer to him.

"No. I'm okay," Jae said, her eyes remaining closed.

"You look tired, though," Roland reasoned.

"I said I'm fine," Jae spat through her teeth her eyes opening and glaring at Roland.  
"Alright, alright. Sorry," he said looking away. Jae continued to stare up at his face. "What?" Roland asked, laughing slightly.

"Nothing," Jae responded. She looked down at her hands and blushed.

"What?" Roland asked again, laughing even harder.

"Nothing," Jae replied quieter, her face becoming even redder. Roland simply continued to laugh, not pursuing the issue any farther, much to Jae's relief.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - I'm getting like 100 hits and I'm not getting any reviews. I have a booming total of 4 reviews. Please review. It keeps the characters living longer. If I don't get more reviews I'm just going to kill the whole story with a giant nuclear bomb (jk). R&R! Enjoy...**

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Chapter 3:

"We're here," Roland called softly. He hoped that Jae had fallen asleep while he ran aimlessly around the forest. He didn't want her awake when he walked through the front yard of the estate.

"Good. I'm getting really stiff in this position." Jae opened her eyes and squirmed in his arms. He put her down on the ground put held onto her with one hand.

Roland gave her a serious look and bent down to look her in the eye. "Just a few quick rules. One, stay as close to me as possible and never let go of my hand. Two, you know how I told you all vampires can do the shoulder thing," Jae nodded in acknowledgment, "well they can also do the name calling thing. So, I'm going to need you to not focus on anything that happens while we walk through the front yard. Okay?"

Jae nodded. Her eyes were droopy and she looked tired.

"Alright. Let's go then," Roland said and moved his hand from Jae's shoulder down to her hand and dragged her behind him.

Once they walked out of the few remaining trees, Jae was shocked by what she saw. There were hundreds of people, presumably vampires, sitting around. Kissing, hugging, talking, dancing, and so on. Nearly half of them turned to stare at her as she walked in, but the remainder stayed engrossed in whatever activity they were previously performing. Jae immediately looked down, remembering Roland's warning.

"Come here. Come here," A chorus of soothing and inviting voices repeated over and over. Jae focused on putting on one foot in front of the other, and Roland pulled her forward faster.

One voice stood out above the rest. It was smooth and familiar. Jae tried to look inconspicuously out of the corner of her eye to identify the speaker. Hundreds of pairs of eyes met her on each side. She was searching for one in particular, even though she didn't know what she was looking for.

A face to her left captured her gaze. Her pace slowed and Roland pulled on her hand hard trying to shake her out of her daze. The man nodded to her with a smile and dropped his head, releasing her from the power of his stare. Roland gave Jae another good yank and she ran to catch up with him.

They entered the building through a large door. The inside was decorated meticulously with classical and modern furniture that blended together seamlessly. Roland pulled Jae up an impressive flight of completely carpeted stairs. He led her down a dark hall, and into a dimly lit room. After her eyes adjusted, Jae noticed a large bed a bureau, a mirror, and a closed door which was either a closet or a bathroom.

"Thank you," Jae said quietly while she looked around for a light switch. Roland's hand left hers momentarily while he went to turn on a gorgeous over head light. "Thank you," she said again laughing a little at herself.

"Why are you laughing?" Roland asked, chuckling a little.

"No reason." Jae was laughing harder now.

"What?" Roland asked all out howling with amusement. The two of them laughed until Jae's sides hurt so much that she had to sit down on the floor and gasp for air. After Roland had composed himself, he asked, "What was so funny?"

"I can't ever remember, now," Jae said, giving way to another fit of giggles.

"I'm going to get you a tooth brush and some tooth paste. I'll be right back." Roland looked at Jae slightly shocked, slightly amused. He silently shut the door behind him and huffed down the hallway at a quick pace.

Jae sobered up quickly after Roland left. She crawled into the large bed and curled up into a tight ball. Roland didn't come back after a couple minutes so she flopped over onto her back, determined to fall asleep.

Roland came back several minutes later to find Jae staring absently at the ceiling. He shut the door with a slight click, announcing his presence. The alertness came back to Jae's eyes but she didn't move to look at him.

"I'll put your things in the bathroom." Roland opened the door and threw the plastic bag next to the sink with perfect accuracy. Jae was laughing quietly to herself. "What is so interesting about that light?" Roland asked, completely bewildered.

"What isn't so interesting about that light?" Jae responded, no longer laughing, but not moving her sight from the light either.

"Go wash up." Roland pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and closed his eyes. He gestured towards the bathroom with his free hand. Jae walked into the bathroom without saying a word.

Jae couldn't get the picture of that man out of her mind. He looked familiar. And, she got butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought about him. Without really thinking about it Jae went through the motions of preparing for bed. She continued to think about him until the issue of a hairbrush came up. After a short bit of searching, she decided it was best just to yank her fingers through it briefly. The yanking lasted longer than she realized because, once again, her mind drifted back to the man in the yard. She walked over to the window and looked at the setting sun. She looked down to see if she could spot the man, if he was still outside. Unfortunately, it was too dark.

Just as Jae was about to turn around, a figure dropped down onto the window sill, opened the window, crawled inside, and put a soft hand on Jae's shoulder. This all happened before Jae could even gasp, the figure was so fast. But, right before the hand hit her shoulder, silencing all emotion, she realized it was the same man she had seen on her way into the building.

Roland sensed Jae's heartbeat accelerate quickly, very quickly, before calming down substantially. He knocked on the door softly, "Jae, are you okay in there?" There was no response. He waited. Then, her scent started to drift away. In a panic, Roland broke down the door and ran to the window, only to see an unidentifiable vampire carrying Jae's limp figure hit the ground and start running. Roland jumped out the window without hesitation. He ran after Jae and the unknown captor, following only by Jae's scent.

Jae relaxed into the man's arms. She let a wave of lethargy, sent from her carrier, spread over her. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Jae rolled over searching for more sleep. She groaned as something cold pulled her upright. She kept her eyes closed, and as soon as the grasp was released, fell back to the ground.

"Get up," someone, not so friendly, growled.

Jae rolled onto her stomach, pried her eyes open, and took in her surroundings. She was on a mattress that was on a wooden floor. She had two layers of blanket completely wrapped around her. She groaned and pushed herself up. Jae turned around so that she was sitting more conventionally. In a chair on the opposite side of the room sat the same man who had caught her eye yesterday. She tried to recall the details of last night, and how she had gotten hear, through the fog of sleep.

"How?" Jae mumbled, "Where am I?"

The man laughed and then appeared in front of her.

"Who are you?" Jae nearly shrieked, coming out of her fog like trance.

The man laughed again and then sat down next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder. She immediately felt all of the panic fall away. The questions that she had wanted to ask escaped her memory, so they sat in silence for a while.

"Hi," the man said breaking the silence. He slowly removed his hand and brought it down to his side.

"Hi," Jae said unfocused. "Um," she paused, "Who are you?"

"You can call me Thais," he said, glad that she wasn't panicking.

"Well, Thais," Jae said, gradually coming back to reality, "Where are we? Why are we here? And how are we here?"

"We are at my house. We are here because I want to be. We are also here because I brought you here."

Jae nodded. What else was there to do? "I'm hungry," she stated.

"Blunt. I like that about you," Thais laughed and got up, grabbing Jae's hand and pulling her out the door. They walked down a hallway and into a tiled kitchen with a table at the far end. Jae sat down in the seat closest to the doors that lead to a glassed in porch. She looked at Thais expectantly. "I have to make a phone call. Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge. There are pots and pans in this cabinet," he pointed toward the back corner of the kitchen, "if you want to make anything. I'll be right back." Thais left through the same door they had walked through and strolled away quickly, humming to himself.

Jae made her way over to the stainless steel refrigerator and gave the handle a hard tug. The door jerked open, rattling every thing inside of it. Jae looked around nervously, a blush growing on her cheeks. Thais chuckled from down the hall, although Jae could not hear it. She briefly looked through the refrigerator before giving up and going in search of cereal. She opened cabinet after cabinet, but they were either empty, or full of dishes and household decorations like useless vases. She decided to sit down and wait for Thais to return. Jae drummed her fingers against the table, listening for the sound of his return. Without realizing it Jae turned and saw Thais sitting at the far end of the table. She gasped and brought her hand up to her chest, but then quickly brought it down, the fear subsiding.

"Not hungry anymore?" Thais asked. His eyebrows went up playfully and he put on a devilish smile.

"I just couldn't find anything I was in the mood for." Jae shrugged and started to dive into her next round of questions, but she was quickly interrupted.

"What ARE you in the mood for, then?" he asked, immediately serious.

"I don't know. I guess I wasn't really that hungry in the first place," again she tried to start her questions, but was interrupted.

"You should eat something. It's been a while since you ate. I don't want you passing out on me," the spark of humor returned to his eyes with the last comment.

"I'm fine. Really," Jae said, trying to silence the doubt on Thais's face.

He stood up quickly and put a hand on Jae's shoulder. "You will eat," Thais stated. Jae nodded mechanically and Thais detached his hand. "What would you like?" Thais asked walking over to the middle of the kitchen.

Jae turned in her chair to look at him. She was too frightened to lie to him. "Cereal would be nice," she stated quietly.

"Then cereal it shall be." Thais disappeared into another room blindingly fast. He came back with a box, which he poured into a bowl with milk and placed in front of Jae all in an amount of seconds.

Stunned, Jae turned around and started to pick at her the still crunchy flakes that floated around in the icy milk.

"Eat," Thais commanded. Jae brought the spoon up to her mouth and quickly chewed the cereal. She remembered how hungry she was, and hurriedly downed the entire bowl. "Would you like anything else?" Thais asked. He was slightly amused at how much he had had to persuade her to eat when she was clearly very hungry.

"Do you have any fruit?" she asked timidly. Thais was surprised that she didn't lie to him, but proud that he had frightened her enough into telling the truth.

"Any kind you like," he stated.

"Could I have an orange, maybe?" This came out as a question.

Thais walked over to the cabinet by the light switch and grabbed an orange. He held it out for Jae to take. She reached out tentatively and took it from him. She began peeling it and Thais sat down at the head of the table and stared at Jae.

Thais looked young. He had long dirty blonde hair that reached his shoulders and brushed against his forehead. His eyes were a brown shade of gray and were set close together above his perfectly shaped nose. His mouth was full and light pink. Jae saw them move and tried to focus her attention on the words coming out of them but was unable.

"Jae? Jae?" Thais waved his hands wildly, trying to attract her attention.

"Sorry. What?" Jae said, coming out of her brief fixation with his face.

"Nothing. You just seemed out of it," Thais stated, studying her expression intensely. Jae looked away. She tried to ignore his stare, but failed and decided to leave the kitchen. She put her completely untouched orange on the place mat near Thais, and she left the kitchen.

She wandered through the hallways, acting like she knew exactly where she was going. She constantly looked behind her, checking for Thais. She didn't want him to sneak up on her again and do the shoulder thing.

She opened a door at the end of a hallway to find a cozy, well-lit, library. And, sitting in a cushioned red chair by the fire, was Thais. He smiled at her, "Sit. Let's talk."

With out realizing it, Jae found herself walking over to another chair opposite Thais. She sat on the edge of the chair and looked at Thais. She was tense and gripped the arms of the chair tightly.

"Relax," Thai said. And she did. She moved back and leaned into the chair. She loosened her death grip and moved her hands to her lap. He released his emotional hold on her so he could get an honest response to his next question, "Are you, honestly, not freaked out by the fact that I'm a vampire?"

"Not really," Jae said. She kept her face carefully emotionless, "I guess I always knew that things like this existed. I just never had any proof to hold on to. Until now," she added.

"Hmm." Thais nodded. He thought about how to respond, but decided to move onto a different topic. "Would you li-"

Jae cut him off. "Why am I here? Why aren't I back at that house with Roland?"

"Well this should be an interesting conversation," Thais muttered to himself. "I need someone to live with me. I need someone to take care of me and the house. To run errands and tidy up and such. I was wondering if you would like to be that person?"

"This how you ask somebody to be a maid? You kidnap them in the middle of the night, toy with their feelings, and then ask them if they want to be your maid?" Jae was nearing hysteria. Thais reached out to calm her, but she jerked away.

"Not a maid exactly," Thais tried soothing her with his voice. Her heart rate slowed noticeably, so he continued, "I need someone to take care of the house, yes, but mostly I need someone to drink."

Jae looked back at him shocked. Her jaw dropped and her eyes were wide. Then, she asked the most unexpected question, "How much does it pay?"

"Uh. Free room and board. Two hundred dollars a day. Does that sound fair?"

"Um. I'm not sure. What are the hours?"

"Twenty-four, seven," Thais laughed at this.

"Um."

"I'm kidding mostly. You won't have to work constantly, but this would be your life," Thais said, immediately serious.

"Sounds fair enough. Doesn't pay THAT well, but it'll do." Jae nodded her head, "Thanks!" Jae said smiling hugely.

"And," Thais paused, slightly shocked, "you're okay with the whole 'drinking' part of the job."

"Yeah, I guess. How bad could it be?" Jae shrugged.

"Not that bad." Thais was ecstatic. _Finally! A girl that doesn't panic every three seconds even when she should. This should be great,_ he thought.

"I'll show you around the house and you can pick out your room." Thais stood up and offered his hand to Jae, who took it tentatively.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - So, I have like 200 hits and less than 10 reviews. WTF people? Please review and if I get 20 by next Friday I will post two chapters over the weekend. So...Read, Review, and Enjoy.**

Chapter 4:

Thais closed the door and Jae rolled onto the bed. She had picked a secluded room on the third floor. It was dark, in a cozy way. There were festive lights strung around the room. The walls were a homey green color and the table and nightstand were made out of a dark colored wood. There was a white work lamp on the table. There was also a small white laptop that Thais had given her. She had said it wasn't necessary, but he insisted in the way that only he could. Her was queen sized and took up nearly half the room. It had a lilac comforter with a black design threaded on it. The pillows had the same design but with a black background and the design was lilac.

The intercom by the door buzzed and Thais's voice came out. "Jae, if you are all settled I'd like you to come down and join me in the living room. I have another gift for you."

Jae hit the button to respond, "Which way is the living room?" She laughed nervously into the speaker.

"Make a left when you go out of your room. Go down the stairs. Make a right. Go down another flight of stairs and then you'll see me."

"'Kay." Jae walked out of the room and followed Thais's instructions until she saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Bravo. You didn't get lost," Thais laughed and started to make his way through a maze of doors and hallways. Jae followed silently, trying to memorize the house, without much success.

At one point, Thais quickly went behind Jae and put his hands over her eyes. Jae shrieked because the last thing she saw was the back of Thais's head, now all she was darkness, and cold hands pressed against her face.

"It's okay. It's okay," Thais murmured into her ear, "It's just me. It's okay." Jae calmed down at the sound of his voice.

Thais led Jae into the living room and let her open her eyes. In the middle of the living room was everything she needed. There were two hangers full of clothes she would've never worn, and probably never would wear. There was a bag with a tooth brush and tooth paste and a hairbrush.

"This is great. Thank you." Jae walked over and looked through the clothes. She wanted to find something that she might consider wearing, and something she could use as pajamas.

"You really shouldn't have," Jae said. She pulled out a gray tee-shirt that was clearly too big and decided to make it her pajama shirt.

"You don't seem that upset that I did." Thais laughed.

"Really. I'd be just as happy with a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt."

"I'll bring these up to your closet, okay?" Thais walked over and grabbed the clothes. Jae nodded and Thais took off at full speed, leaving Jae shocked.

Thais came back to the living room and laughed. "Are you alright?" Jae's eyes were wide and her mouth was dangling open.

"Wow, you're fast," Jae said, snapping out of it. Thais laughed and sat down on the sofa in front of the TV and reached for the remote.

"I'm not going to need you to work for the rest of the night. You may do what you please." Thais waved a hand at her, becoming _Boss Thais_, and turned on the TV to a news channel.  
Jae walked out of the living room and began to wander the house. _What was that about? I thought we were getting along pretty well. I mean I'm being a REALLY good sport about all this. He kidnapped me and wants to drink my blood and I haven't even cried or screamed once. Why'd he suddenly become so Mr. Boss-man with me? What the heck is his issue?_ Jae thought.

She found her way back to the library she had been in before. She found a pack of matches in a drawer and lit the fire. Jae examined the collection of books. She picked out one with an interesting title, _How Some Have Never Lived_. There was no author. She pulled a blanket that was hanging on the door, over to a chair by the fire and sat down to read. She had gotten half way through chapter three, before the warmth of the room had put her sleep.

"Jae," Thais called. "Jae."

She curled up into a tighter ball and muttered grumpily into herself. Thais put his cold hand to her cheek. Jae jerked away and popped her eyes open.

"Time to get up." Thais walked out of the room, leaving Jae to adjust to her surroundings. She ran up the stairs in the direction she thought was her bedroom. After several minutes of getting lost, Jae walked into a familiar hallway and burst into her bedroom. She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and hair until it looked presentable. The closet was open and Jae picked out one of the least formal and feminine outfits.

Just as she slipped the shirt over her head, Thais's voice came out of the intercom. "Jae, please come down to the kitchen. Quickly."

Jae ran followed the directions that Thais had given her yesterday and then paused, unsure of which way to go.

"Make a left," Thais yelled.

"Thanks." Jae took off in that direction and went down the stairs at the end of the hallway. She walked into the kitchen very pleased with herself.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Thais asked pleasantly.

"Well enough."

"You can make yourself breakfast. The cereal is in the pantry," Thais pointed to behind Jae, "if you want."

"I'm not hungry," Jae said. Thais raised his eyebrow and smiled. Jae remembered what happened yesterday when she didn't want breakfast. "I'll have a bowl of cereal."

"Smart decision," Thais said.

Jae prepared her meal happily. She hummed a tune to herself and half danced, half walked, around the kitchen getting all the necessary items for breakfast.

"You're in a good mood," Thais noted as Jae sat down at the table.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Jae asked rhetorically.

"Hmm," Thais thought about that. "I'm going to run a couple of errands. I'll be back by one. Until then, you may do what you please." Thais stood up and pushed his chair in.

"In the sun?" Jae asked?

"Yes, in the sun." Thais laughed and then disappeared with vampire speed, leaving Jae shocked and alone.

She finished her cereal and went back to the library again. She found the book she had been reading last night and picked it up off the floor.

"Jae?" There was no response. "Jae?" Thais repeated louder, this time. He heard a groan come from the library. He ran up there to find Jae asleep in the same chair. He laughed. She seemed to sleep a lot. He put his cold hand to her cheek and she gasped. "Oh, good. You're awake." Thais laughed.

"What?" Jae asked. She looked tired and confused.

"When you're ready, I have a job for you." Thais sat down in the chair next to Jae and waited.

She sat up and looked him in the eye. "I'm ready. What's the job, boss?" She laughed.

_She's so beautiful when she laughs_, Thais thought to himself briefly.

"I need you to go into town and pick up some supplies from the Black Cat. It's right next to the coffee house on Main Street.  
"Okay. Where's town?" Jae asked, preparing herself for the task at hand.

"I'll drop you off and pick you up. I want to go meet up with some friends while we're there." Thais walked over to the desk and started writing on a piece of paper. "Here's what I need you to get," he handed her the list, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Jae said. She stood up and ran her fingers through her hair.

Thais picked her up and ran towards town at full speed. Jae was still screaming by the time he had reached the end of the, abnormally long, driveway.

"Relax, relax. Why are you screaming?" Thais said, slightly annoyed.

"You just surprised me. That's all." Jae faded into silence and watched the blurred scenery fly by.

"I'll be back in half an hour," Thais said as he put her down in an alley next to Main Street. "The Black Cat is just around that corner." Thais gestured to the right.

"'Kay." Jae walked off without hesitation leaving Thais alone in the alley for a moment.

The bells jangled when she pushed open the door into a dark store with thickly packed shelves. She quickly found everything Thais needed, with twenty minutes to kill.

She left the store with a wave to the sales lady and walked into the coffee shop. She ordered a large cup of black coffee and sat down at the counter. A young girl walked up to the counter and ordered an ice tea.

She turned to Jae and smiled pleasantly, "Are you Thais's latest?" Her voice was high pitched and perky. She had on a tiny mini skirt and a tight shirt that showed a little too much skin for comfort.

"Depends what you mean by latest. But yeah," Jae said. She decided to trust this woman. She didn't seem like a bad person, just annoying.

"I'm Q. Well, that's what everyone calls me." She extended her hand to Jae.

"I'm Jae." They shook hands and started talking about the town. Jae glanced at the clock. "Oh! I have to go. Sorry. It's been great talking to you." Jae waved as she ran out the door. She nearly walked into Thais, who was standing right outside the Black Cat.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep." They walked back into the alley and Thais ran back to the house, with Jae in his arms.

"Bag please," Thais said once he had placed Jae in a chair in the library.

"Here you go," Jae handed him the bag, "I think I got everything."

"Great," Thais looked through the bag quickly. "Tonight, I would like to drink you, if that's all right." Thais kept his eyes in the bag, waiting for her response.

"Yeah, okay. I guess tonight's as good as any night." Jae shrugged. _Time to earn my pay_, she thought.

"Alright. You may do what you please until eight o'clock. I recommend eating dinner before then." Thais was pleased by her reaction. She was sticking to the agreement they had made.

He was about to leave when Jae asked, "How long is it going to take?"

"You'll wake up tomorrow morning," he responded.

"Okay." Jae nodded pleased enough with that answer. She got up and walked over to a shelf. She pulled out one of the books and settled down to read.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" Thais asked.

"Sure," Jae said.

Thais took a random book off the shelf without looking at it and sat down across from Jae. He watched her flip through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. She immediately became intensely focused on the book and was completely oblivious to Thais's constant stare.

It was half past seven by the time Jae was interrupted by the growling of her stomach. "Time to eat," Jae said, glancing at the clock. She got up and found her way to the kitchen after three tries of opening doors.

Jae ate in silence in the kitchen, while Thais watched the news in the living room. Occasionally, Jae would glance up from her plate to make sure he was still there. Jae put her plate in the sink and began to scrub it, when, in a far off room, Jae heard eight chimes, signaling the hour. She looked towards the living room and saw Thais motion for her to walk closer. She dropped the plate she was working on and began to march towards Thais involuntarily.

She stopped once she reached the living room and looked at Thais expectantly. "Ready?" he asked and stood up in one fluid motion.

Jae closed her eyes tightly and tensed all her muscles. "Just make it quick," she blurted.

"Relax. You won't feel a thing." Thais placed a hand on Jae's shoulder.

Immediately, Jae lost all connection with reality. She was unsure of whether she was standing or sitting or what ever. Colors flashed before her eyes and a tingling sensation moved up and down her body. She had no idea what was happening or why she was there. She couldn't think about anything, she just focused on the colors in front of her. There was a slight pressure on her neck, but she didn't mind. Green and blue lights swirled around her and she got lost in their patterns. After an unknown amount of time, her neck was released, and everything went black.

Thais put his fangs to Jae's throat as soon as she was unconscious, and drank big gulps. He supported her limp body with his arms, occasionally lifting her off the ground to get a better grip. He was careful not to spill any of her blood. It was sweet, and the smell of it begged him to continue, but once he had drunken enough he released her.

Thais carried Jae up to her bedroom and laid her down under the covers. He left the room and came back with gauze and a bandage. He carefully covered the wound and left her to rest.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

Chapter 5:

Jae turned over and her hand landed on piece of paper. She reluctantly opened her eyes and peered at the neat lettering in the darkness of the room.

_Jae,_

_When you wake up, call me. Do not get out of bed. Just shout and I'll be there soon._

She threw the paper off to the side and rolled onto her back, trying to recall the details of last night. She remembered making dinner, then going over to Thais. She assumed he had bitten her, but she couldn't remember any details.

She groaned and instantly, Thais burst threw the door carrying a tray full of food. He set the tray down on the bureau and tuned to face her. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Fine," Jae said. She propped herself up on the pillows so that she was sitting more comfortably.

"Are you sure? You're not light headed, or anything?" Thais asked.

"Just a little tired. But that's normal. I'm fine, really." He seemed satisfied with that answer, but a little shocked.

"Here," Thais placed the tray on Jae's lap, "you should eat something."

Realizing how hungry she was, she ate the entire meal in a matter of minutes, and she still wanted more. "Thank you. It was delicious."

Jae moved the empty tray to her nightstand and started to crawl out of bed. Thais ran over at vampire speed and gently pushed her back down with iron strength. "What?" Jae asked, completely confused.

"You should stay in bed for a while. I took a lot of blood last night." Thais looked at her apologetically.

"It's fine. I agreed to it, and it wasn't that bad. I don't even remember it. I didn't feel a thing, just like you said." Jae's hand moved up to the bandage on her neck, and she felt around the edges.

"I'm glad. But, I still insist that you stay in bed for today," Thais nodded, signaling the end of the conversation.

"So what am I supposed to do for the whole day?" Jae asked, realizing she had lost.

"Sleep? Think deep thoughts?" Thais proposed jokily.

Jae smiled. "I'm going to get a book from the library. I'll be right back." She started to crawl out of bed again, but Thais pushed her back again.

"I'll get the book. Do you want the one you were reading yesterday?" Thais asked as he left the room. He already knew the answer, but he thought that it was polite to ask.

"Mm hmm," Jae said. She moved the pillows so that she was lying on her back. _I feel fine. I wonder why he won't let me up. Whatever. I can't argue with him, I'll just loose, 'cause he cheats. Besides, I'm not going to say no to a day off. It really wasn't that bad. I didn't even notice_, Jae thought. Her mind wandered and Thais eventually came back with the book.

"What was the stuff that I got at the Black Cat for?" Jae asked.

"It's to help curb my thirst while you heal. The herbs make a drink that an old friend of mine taught me," Thais responded.

"Okay." Jae opened up the book and searched for her page.

"When you want lunch, just give me a call." With that, Thais walked out of the room leaving Jae alone with the novel.

When one o'clock rolled around Jae's stomach started to growl. Tentatively, she called out, "Thais?"

"Yes?" He was standing directly beside her. She gasped and flinched away from him, before she calmed down. "Sorry, if I scared you."

"It's fine. But, um, would you mind bringing me lunch?" She was unsure of how to phrase it politely.

"Sure. What would you like?"

"I can get it myself," Jae said hopefully.

"Sure."

"Really?" Jae asked, shocked.

"No," Thais responded, immediately looking serious.

Jae laughed. That was a beautifully set up joke. "I'll have anything that's lying around. I don't care."

"How does Mac n' Cheese sound?" Thais asked.

"It's fine," Jae said.

Lunch was delicious. After that, she read until her eyes hurt. She threw the book to the side and muttered, to no one in particular, "I'm bored."

"Then go to sleep," Thais shouted from down stairs.

"I can't," Jae responded.

"Why not?"

"'Cause it's four o'clock," Jae guessed the time.

"No it's not. It's four thirty.

"Close enough."

"Go to sleep," Thais said in a very stern tone of voice.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because," Jae paused, as if she was explaining something to a child, "it's to early."

There was a knock at her door. "Can I come in?" Thais asked.

"Sure," Jae said and sat up in the bed.

"Lie down," Thais commanded. He pushed her back down on to the bed. "Close your eyes." Jae did as she was told. "Now," Thais paused, "go to sleep." He put his hand on her shoulder and, with a light tap, she fell unconscious.

"Rise and shine," Thais called. He wheeled a cart full of food into Jae's room and flipped on the lights.

Jae turned over and wrapped the sheets around her in a tight ball. She groaned and then relaxed into the mattress.

"Come on," Thais prodded, "Wake up." He walked over to the bed and gave her a good shove. She didn't move.

"If you won't wake up by yourself, I'll just have to do it," Thais said. He put his hand on her shoulder and Jae sat up, seemingly in a trance. "When I take my hand off your shoulder you will be completely awake," Thais instructed.

He removed his hand and Jae fixed an angry glare at him. "I would've gotten up soon," Jae huffed, "I just needed a minute. I need my time to wake up."

Thais laughed. "Sorry. I'll remember that next time."

Jae rolled her eyes. Once again she tried to get up, but Thais pushed her down. "This is like Whack-a-Mole," Thais stage whispered.

"I just want to see what's for dinner," she complained.

"Steak and fries," Thais said and walked over to the cart.

"Mm. It smells delicious," Jae said, trying to loosen the tension between them.

Thais smiled at her, "Thank you. I hope you like it." He set the plate down in front of her and gave her a knife, fork, and ketchup. "I wasn't sure what kind of steak sauce you liked, so I just brought ketchup for the fries. Do you want steak sauce?"

"No. This is fine," Jae said. She would've liked a little steak sauce, but she didn't want to be any more trouble.

Thais raised his eyebrow and gave her a smile that told her that he knew that she was lying. Jae glanced up at him and then quickly looked down again. She decided to pretend that she hadn't seen him.

"Mm. This is delicious. Thank you so much!" Jae said with extra enthusiasm.

Thais raised his other eyebrow and his smile disappeared.

"Peter Luger's please," Jae said, giving up. Thais vanished and then quickly reappeared with a newly opened bottle of steak sauce. She made a small puddle on the side of her plate and began to eat in silence.

"Why do you bother?" Thais asked suddenly.

"Bother what?"

"Lying to me. You're a horrible liar, I can always tell."

"I don't lye. You're just incredibly pushy."

"I'm not pushy. You al-" Jae cut him off.

"You are so pushy. I say I don't want to eat. And you're like BAM," she put her hand on Thais's shoulder, "yes, you do." She tried to imitate Thais's voice during the last part, but failed miserably.

"That's because you're hungry and I know it!" Thais was becoming exasperated now, "You lye all the time! Why?"

"I 'lye'", Jae put up finger quotes, "because I don't want to be any trouble. You've been running up and down all day taking care of me and I don't want you to have to go up and down again just to get me some stupid steak sauce, or something like that." She was clearly annoyed at having to explain all this.

"It's not any trouble. Let's just state the obvious. It's my job to take care of you, and your job to give me blood every once in a while," Thais stated.

"Well that was blunt."

"Yes. But I feel that it's better that."

"Me too," Jae agreed and proceeded to pick at her steak.

"Eat," Thais said.

"I'm not hungry."

"I went to all the _trouble_ to make you that steak."

Jae was close to breaking at this point. She wanted to laugh so badly, but she was determined not to be the first one to crack. "Jeez, you're so pushy."

Thais smiled and Jae started to laugh hysterically. She composed herself and looked Thais in the eye. "I will win, someday."

"No. You won't," Thais said and threw on a wild sloppy grin.

Jae ate the rest of her meal and dessert while having a normal chat with Thais. After dinner he carried her down to the living room and they watched a movie. It was nearly one when the movie finished.

Jae started to walk upstairs to her bedroom. Thais shut off the TV and put the DVD back in its case.

"Thais," Jae called from the staircase, "thank you." Thais gave her a quizzical look.

"For what?" Thais raised his eyebrow unconsciously.

"For everything today." Jae looked at her feet. She didn't want to meet his gaze.

"You're welcome. Do you need help getting up to your room, or can you do it yourself?"

"No. I can do it," Jae mumbled. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Thais called returning to the TV.

Jae tripped over her feet on the last step. She yelped and put out her hands. She closed her eyes, but she never hit the ground. When she finally looked up, Thais was laying her, face down, in her bed.

"Night," Thais said. He smiled at her and flipped her onto her back. He kept his hands on her arms.

_Jae likes_, she thought. "Thanks, for that." Jae giggled nervously, "See you tomorrow morning." And with that, Thais disappeared from her room.

A/N - I got no reviews for my last chapter, so that didn't help my writer's block at all! Any way, I decided to update even though, apparently, no one likes my story because no one reviewed! (hint, hint) BTW, I've been trying really hard not to leave to many cliff hangers. I think I've been doing a pretty awesome job. What do you think?


	6. Competition

**A/N - Well, I've decided to start a challenge...**

**

* * *

**

**Think you've got mad google skills? Try to find a picture of the characters in my story, "An Un-Wanted Love"**

**Prizes include your choice of:**

**1st place: **

**Becoming a character in the story**

**Getting an official "An Un-Wanted Love" background**

**Getting a copy of the official "An Un-Wanted Love" theme song**

**2nd place:**

**Becoming a minor character in the story**

**A partial copy of the official "An Un-Wanted Love" theme song**

**Please e-mail photos to **


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N - Sorry it took so long to update, but I just haven't been getting as many reviews as I'd like. So that gave me no inspiration. Well, this chapter has a lot of stuff that'll be important in the upcoming plot, so pay close attention. Happy Holidays Everyone!**

Chapter 6:

Thais walked down the stairs quickly and sat down in his study. He turned to his computer and focused his surveillance cameras on someone who was running quickly around his house.

The man was too fast for Thais's cameras to focus on, so he put on a jacket and went outside. He appeared behind the man with vampire speed. "May I ask why you are darting around my property at this time of night?"

The man turned around, shock evident, and gaped at Thais. The man was clearly a vampire, but young and inexperienced. He seemed familiar, although Thais wasn't sure.

_He seems friendly enough, maybe he could help me. I'll play it cool, though,_ the man thought to himself. "I've lost my mate. I followed her sent here. Have you seen a girl, about fifteen years old, tall, thin, big eyes, somewhat tan, dark hair, bangs." He gestured wildly.

The poor man seemed desperate. Thais laughed to himself. He had stolen this little vampire's mate. He had taken Jae, and he couldn't even find the guts to ask to search the house. "I haven't seen her, but now that you mention it, I do smell something. It seems old, though. Maybe she passed through here several days ago, four at most. She seems to be heading west." Thais turned his face and the man looked eagerly that way.

"What's your name, son?" Thais asked.

"Roland."

"Well, Roland, good luck finding your mate. I'll call for you if I have any news." With that, Roland started running west, following a scent his hopeful imagination had created.

Thais laughed and walked back to the house to check on Jae. She was turning restlessly.

He knocked on the door to announce his presence. "May I come in?"

"Yeah. Sure." Jae turned over and curled into a ball, so that she was facing the door.

"Sorry to disturb you. I just have to put something up in your room. I'll be done in a moment. You can go back to sleep," Thais said.

"'Kay." Jae rolled over so that she was in the same position, only this time she was facing the window.

Thais walked over to the windows and started to put up bars. He turned around to find Jae looking at him quizzically. Then Jae made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and she immediately fell asleep.

He left the room after securing a set of bars to each window. He went upstairs to his bedroom and fell onto his bed, exhausted.

He usually slept during the day. But, with Jae being here, he felt it was only fair that he was awake while she was.

Thais woke up to the sounds of cereal being poured into a ceramic bowl. He got dressed and walked down the stairs. He rounded the corner and leaned against the doorframe, watching Jae eat. She didn't notice him, so he watched her for several minutes.

"Jae, there are some things I want to discuss with you."

"Mmhmm," Jae said. She looked up from her bowl of cereal.

"First, do you know what a 'mate' is? In vampire terms." He looked at Jae expectantly.

"Nnhnn," Jae mumbled through a mouthful of cereal.

"A vampire, usually male, picks a human, usually female, to marry. The vampire then forces the girl to marry him and produce his children."

Jae looked panicked. _Omigod. Is he saying that I'm his mate?_ she thought.

"You remember Roland?" Jae nodded. "Well, he's decided to make you his mate." Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped.

"Wha- Why? How?" Jae started shrieking unintelligibly.

Thais placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, and she immediately became silent.

"Just listen to me," Thais commanded. He brought his hand back to his side and looked Jae in the eye. "I have a plan, so stay quiet for a minute."

"Well, why did you bar my windows last night. Do you think I'm going to run away to him? 'Cause I'm not. I'm young. I don't want to be a mom. I don't want to get married! I- I'm…" Jae started to cry. She leaned against the wall and sat down. She pulled her knees into her chest and rocked back and forth, screaming the entire time.

Thais sat down next to her. She looked so upset. "Calm down. Sh. It's alright," Thais cooed. He stroked her back. Slowly, he wiled her asleep. He carried her to the sofa in the living room. He laid her out so that her feet were hanging off the edge and her head was on the pillow.

He grabbed the TV remote and sat down on the floor so that his head was near Jae's chest. Thais turned on the TV and Jae's breathing stuttered as her unconscious heard the sound.

The news came on, but there was nothing interesting. Thais flicked off the TV and turned to Jae. She was sleeping quietly, her breathing making a soft whistling noise. He snapped his fingers to wake her up. She looked around, completely bewildered, but then she remembered where she was.

"Ready to listen to my plan?" Thais asked as he took to steps away from her.

She nodded silently. _She seems scared. I wonder why. She hasn't been scared by vampires before. Maybe she's finally coming to her senses,_ Thais thought to himself.

"Are you frightened?" Thais smiled to himself.

Jae nodded again. She tried to move back into the couch without Thais noticing, but he noticed.

"Do you want some help with that?" Thais asked.

She nodded, not knowing exactly what she was agreeing to. Thais moved, at vampire speed, to the seat next to Jae. He placed his hand on her upper arm, and, immediately, all of Jae's fear and awkwardness melted away.

"Why were you scared?"

"Because of Roland. I don't want to be his 'mate'" Jae made air quotes around the word 'mate'.

"It's alright. I have a plan. Roland came by last night, looking for you. He asked me if I'd seen his 'mate' and gave a description of you. You haven't married Roland, have you?"

Thais paused long enough to see Jae shake her head. "I've sent him West, claiming that's the way you were headed. I set the bars up last night, to keep him out, not to keep you in."

"You can take your hand off, I think I'm good," Jae said. Thais took off his hand and waited to see Jae's reaction. She remained calm.

"Okay. Next topic," he paused to see if Jae had anything she wanted to add anything to the previous discussion.

He took a deep breath. "Your parents are back in town after their vacation. Roland had them leave so that you would feel alone and vulnerable. He hoped that you would fall in love with him quickly if you were hurt. Your parents are back, and they're looking for you, but they haven't alerted the authorities yet. My plan was to go to their home, and cause them to forget you. Alright?"

Jae had turned pale and she was looking down.

"Alright?" Thais asked again.

Jae wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She nodded but, then, she started to cry.

"Shh, shh. It's okay. Shh, shh. Don't cry. It's okay. It's okay." Thais picked Jae up, bridal style, and carried her to the living room. He pulled her onto his lap and rocked her back and forth.

Once Jae had quieted, Thais turned her sot that they were facing each other.

"You sure do cry a lot." Thais laughed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…It's- I'm fine," Jae sniffled and wiped her cheek.

Thais raised a knowing eyebrow. He was about to touch Jae's shoulder, but stopped when she took a deep breath.

"Fine. I'll tell you. Can't you let anyone keep something to themselves?"

Thais smiled happily to himself. _Finally_, he thought.

"It's just…I've been through a lot in the past…week? Yeah, week. And now, I finally find out where my family was, and they won't even miss me because they won't even remember me."

"Well, I suppose I could let you go home. Make you forget everything. It'll be like this never happened." Thais smiled as he reached out to tap Jae's temple.

"No! Stop! Wait!" Jae hit Thais's hand away. She immediately fell asleep and collapsed into his arms.

"Oops," Thais said. He touched her arm briefly and her eyes flashed open.

"What?" Jae mumbled.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting you to touch me, so the contact put you to sleep."

"Oh. But, you weren't serious about making me forget everything, were you?"

"Don't you want to go home?"

"Yeah. I miss my family and everything, but all this. Vampires. It's all so amazing. I don't want to forget that all this exists."

"You have to make a choice then," Thais paused, "Stay with me, and know about vampires. Or, go back to your family, and forget everything that's happened."

"What about Roland?"

"I could take care of that easily. Don't let that influence your decision."

"Uh. Umm…Well, I-" Jae was cut off.

"Take your time. I just need your decision by tonight." Thais started to get up.

"Wait. I want to go back to my family. BUT, I don't want to forget this. Knowing is so much better than not. I guess, if I have to choose, I'd rather stay with you," Jae stopped to look at Thais, "When you go to my parents tonight, can I come? I just want to say goodbye to them, and Collin."

"Who's Collin?" Thais's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"He's my brother. Isn't he with my family? Thais?"

Thais had gotten up and walked into the kitchen. He was pulling things out of a cabinet and heating up a pot of water. Jae followed him into the kitchen and sat back down at the table.

"Sorry. You were nervous, therefore you had an adrenaline rush. And, I'm thirsty. I haven't had a drink in a while."

"Oh. Do you want…?" Jae moved her hair off her neck and tuned slightly to one side.

Thais looked at her ravenously. "No. Later."

"Okay. So, um, can I come with you tonight?"

"Well, I've been thinking. I could make them think they sent you to boarding school, or something. That way you could visit them occasionally. I trust you enough not to tell them."

"If you trust me not to tell anyone, why can't I just go home?"

"I believe that you won't tell anyone on purpose," Thais paused to stir the boiling misture. He took out a mug and poured the murky purple liquid into it. He shut off the flame and brought the cup to his lips. He took a brief sip before continuing, "But, eventually, you might let something slip. In fact, I'm entirely sure, that at some point, you will say something you didn't want to, about all of this"

"You're probably right." Jae looked down at the empty bowl of cereal she had to bring to the sink.

"I'm still concerned as to what happened to Collin," Thais said as he took another gulp from his cup.

"I could ask my parents tonight," Jae offered, hoping he would take her.

"Alright. I think it would be a good idea if you came along," Thais said.

Jae smiled brightly and brought her bowl to the sink. She rinsed it out and put it back in the cabinet, after drying it with a towel.

"I'm going to be having a friend over tomorrow. I'd like it if you would make and serve lunch."

"You eat? Like, real food?" Jae was shocked.

"No. But, my friend does," Thais explained.

Jae nodded. "What should I make for lunch?"

"Something simple. Like, pasta or a sandwich."

"Okay. I'm going to go watch TV, unless you need anything else."

Thais waved Jae out of the room without saying another word. _Well, that's kind of rude_, Jae thought to herself.

Jae flipped through channels until she fell asleep. Thais came in a few moments later and picked the remote up off the floor and turned off the TV. She looked so peaceful. Thais stroked her cheek delicately before going to his study.

* * *


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N - Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Times a million and 6. I know I haven't updated in a while. A lot more chapters will be coming soon. Also, there's a poll on my profile as well as an update schedule for An U-W Love. Please check it out. Happy reading (and reviewing)**

* * *

Chapter 7:

Thais set Jae down on the sidewalk in front of a hotel downtown. She followed him through the lobby and into the elevator. Once the doors slid shut, Jae opened her mouth to ask a question, but Thais quickly shushed her. The elevator beeped and the doors opened to reveal a long corridor filled with numbered doors.

Thais walked confidently to the left and Jae followed slowly behind. He turned a corner without realizing that Jae had fallen so far back. He strode forward along the hallway, completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

Jae heard footsteps behind her, and she turned around. There stood Roland, in all his blue eyed glory. She gasped, and quickly he had pressed his hand to her mouth. She couldn't speak. She tried to shout for Thais, but her mouth refused to open. Her eyelids began to droop and a warm feeling worked its way through her body.

"I love you," Roland whispered into Jae's ear. She tried to squirm away from him, but a burst of numb relaxation shot through her arms and legs.

Unable to support her own weight, Roland held her up, whispering nonsense words into her ear. She let her eyes close.

"Jae," Thais called.

"I love you. I'll take you back later," Roland said. He placed her back on the ground and disappeared silently.

Jae staggered in the direction she remembered Thais had gone. Tears welled up in her eyes. She stumbled blindly until she hit something hard and cold that picked her up by the shoulders.

"What's wrong? Jae! Jae, what happened?!" Thais had a panicked look in his eyes. He had no idea what could've happened to upset her so much in the minute and a half he hadn't been paying attention.

Jae tried to tell him what happened, but when she opened her mouth, no noise would come out. She started to cry more, opening and closing her mouth, periodically.

"Jae, you have to tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." He bent down so that he made eye contact with her. She suddenly felt even more of an urge to tell him what had happened, but she couldn't.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. You can tell me anything. You should know that by now."

"No, I can't. I physically can't. I'm trying, but I can't. I want to tell you. I want to tell you so bad, and I don't know why." Jae started to cry again.

"It's okay. It's okay. Let's get you home. We can do this some other time." Thais picked her up and carried her out of the hotel. She cried quietly, burying her face in his shirt.

Jae felt something soft being put under her. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in her room, on her bed. _That was fast_, she thought. Thais sat down next to her. He looked at her with worry, so she sat up and moved closer to him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him tentatively. Thais pulled Jae closer to him and took several deep breaths. His cold skin gave her goose bumps on the upper part of her arms where their skin touched.

He pushed her away from him and trapped her with his gaze. "You have nothing to be sorry for," Thais said with a burning sincerity. He kept her locked in his gaze until her eyelids began to droop and her arms became limp around his neck.

"Stop it. I need to apologize. I need to be awake!" Jae shook her upper body, in an attempt to break the steady stream of drowsiness.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Thais's voice relaxed Jae even further. Her eyes closed and Thais began to pick her up so that he could put her under the covers.  
"Okay, okay. I just want to talk to you for a minute," Jae complained.

Thais gave consent by returning some of Jae's consciousness. "Okay. But just for a little while. You need to get some sleep."

"Okay. First of all, why can't I tell you what happened at the hotel? One minute I was walking down the hallway, and then I-" Jae was cut off. She could not speak any more. "What's going on?"

"Did you see Roland at the hotel?"

Jae tried to nod, but her head wouldn't move. Her breathing increased with determination as she tried her best to communicate with Thais.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. I think that he may have used the 'vampire charm'." Thais indicated what he meant by making Jae feel sleepy. He quickly brought her back to awareness, though. "The effects won't be permanent, but it will last long enough. I will have a friend of mine look at that tomorrow."

"Is that the friend I'm serving lunch to?" Jae asked.

_Always thinking about work_, Thais thought. "Yes. That's who it is, but you don't have to serve lunch tomorrow, you've been through a lot."

"No, I can do it. I'm fine." Jae shrugged to prove that it was no big deal.

"Alright. Time for bed, now." Thais reached out his hand to touch Jae's shoulder.

"Wait!" Jae cried in a panic, "There's one more important thing I want to talk to you about."

Thais sat back down on her bed. "Alright."

"Why do you bother? Wouldn't it just be easier to let Roland have me and find yourself a new girl to drink? There has to be hundreds of girls that would be willing to get bitten by a vampire. Don't think I don't appreciate everything you're doing. I do! I just don't understand why you go through such a hassle."

"You're special," Thais replied. "You're calm and interesting. I don' think there is anyone else that could deal with the world of vampires and still be willing to serve a sandwich the next day." Thais chuckled.

"Well, thank you. And, I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you." Jae looked down sheepishly.

"I've told you not to apologize. Now, take it back. Because it's no trouble at all. I don't mind taking care of you."

"I'm not going to take it back. You're going to such great lengths just to protect me. I'm not worth it."

"Yes, you are. Now, as your boss, I command you to take back your apology." Thais gave the same devilish smile he had given on Jae's first day at his house. It was the smile of someone who knew they'd won. And Thais knew that he'd always win.

"I take back the apology. It's no big deal," Jae groaned, somewhat mockingly.

"That's my girl. Now, time for bed."

"I think I'm tired enough to fall asleep on my own. Thank you, though," she added politely.

"Alright. I'll just wait here, incase you need any help."

"No, I'll be alright. You can just go to you're room. You need sleep."

"You're the one that was attacked. I think you need sleep more than I."

_He needs sleep. Jeez, why won't he just admit that he's not superman. Well, he kind of IS, but he still needs sleep_, she thought.

"Well, when you put it that way, I'd like to accept your offer from before," Jae said.

Thais got up from the chair he had been sitting on and walked over to the bed. Jae flipped over so that she was looking him in the eyes. As she did this, her muscles began to loosen up. Her limbs began to feel heavy and her eyelids began to close. She jerked her head up, in an attempt to stay awake.

"Just relax," Thais said in his most soothing voice.

Jae's breathing became deeper and her eyes closed. He knew she was in a deep sleep, so he silently left the room, so he could go to sleep in his own bed.

A soft moan woke Thais from his slumber. He crawled out of bed and walked down the hallway with a new energy. He felt well rested for the first time in a while, since Jae had come. Another moan led Thais to Jae's bedroom door.

He knocked twice; a short groan followed each of the taps. "Jae, can I come in?" he asked.

No response.

Thais twisted the knob and walked into the dimly lit room. He could see perfectly fine, so he walked over to her bed, and he lay down next to her. Jae flipped over and curled into a ball. She tucked her knees under chin and wiggled closer to Thais. He smiled as a bit of her hair moved onto his hand and tickled his palm.

He began to run his fingers through her hair, taking bigger and bigger parts each time. Jae's eyes opened. "Good morning," she mumbled through the fog of sleep.

"Good morning," Thais responded. He liked her when she was sleepier. He decided to keep her sleepy, just as an experiment.

Jae's eyes took on a glazed over look. She smiled sleepily at him. "You're in my bed," she giggled.

"Yes, I am," Thais said. His voice relaxed Jae further. She smiled and grabbed his arm with both of her hands. She pulled herself closer to him and pushed herself up so that they were looking each other in the eye. Thais leaned forward and their foreheads touched.

Jae giggled again. "You're very nice, you know," Jae said. The glassy look was beginning to fade from her eyes.

"You're very nice too." Again, the dreamy look came to her face.

"You're pretty." She brought her hand up to touch his face. Her fingers moved across his forehead and down his cheek. "You're cold, too!" She giggled again.

"Thais, I like you. A lot. But, I'm tired right now. I'm going to go back to sleep." Jae closed her eyes and curled up on top of Thais. She used his shoulder as a pillow and buried her face in the nape of his neck.

_Time to wake up_, Thais thought. "When you're ready, get dressed and come down to the kitchen for breakfast." He picked Jae up so that he could get out from under her. He placed back on top of the sheets and left the room silently.

After about fifteen minutes, Jae was able to pry her eyes open and crawl out of bed. She threw on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. She pulled her fingers through her hair as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Sorry. It usually doesn't take me that long to wake up. I don't know." Jae put a bowl and the carton of milk on the table. The door to the pantry swung open as Thais went in to grab a box of cereal.

"Here you go," Thais said, handing Jae the box.

"Thank you." She sat down and poured the cereal into her bowl. "So, I was thinking of making a pesto sauce to go with the pasta today. Do you have any basil?"

"Uh, yeah. I think so. But, you don't have to make anything you aren't up to it," Thais offered.

"No, it's fine. It's my job. I'm totally fine." Jae shrugged it off.

"Are you sure you don't want to take the day off? I could order in from somewhere…," Thais trailed off. He relaxed Jae with his voice.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Jae shrieked playfully. She ran out of the room holding her hands over her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. She ran right into Thais and fell back onto her bottom.

"Hey," Thais complained. He chuckled to himself.

"Sorry," Jae said. Thais grabbed Jae's forearms and pulled her up to her feet. She still had her hands clamped on her ears, and her eyes squeezed shut.

"You don't have to apologize. Just look at me. Come on." Thais had pried Jae's hands away from her ears.

Jae shook her head and tried to bring her hands back up but Thais had her arms pinned down firmly to her side.

"Why not?" Thais tried to use his most persuasive voice, without Jae noticing the effect he was having on her mind.

"If you promise not to…," Jae trailed off, not sure what to call it.

"Use the 'vampire charm'?" Thais suggested in an attempt to finish Jae's sentence.

"Yes. Thank you."

"I promise."

Jae opened her eyes and looked at the beautiful man standing before her, but she would never tell him that that's what she thought of him.

"Could you not? Like, ever," she asked.

"No. It's too much fun." Thais laughed.

_God, how I love his laugh_, she thought. Jae rolled her eyes and walked back to the kitchen.

"I'll try to tone it down a bit." Thais was suddenly next to her. She jerked back, surprised. He chuckled at her reaction.

"Listen. I have to make lunch. So will you please let me get to work."

"Alright," he said, slightly amused. Thais chuckled as he walked to the living room. Jae walked into the kitchen and began pulling out pots and pans. Thais's eyes were constantly on her, although she was completely oblivious. She swayed her hips to the music in her head. Thais watched her flit about the kitchen, wondering what she was thinking.

She rolled her neck and Thais could hear the joints cracking. She let out a sigh as she released the breath she had been holding. "Okay," she mumbled to herself, "here we go."

After much clatter of pots and pans, Jae had the pasta strained and was beginning to make the sauce. She pulled out tomatoes and some vegetables. She got a knife and began chopping. Thais looked over nervously when he heard Jae take a quick intake of breath. Then, the smell of blood assaulted his nostrils. He rushed over to Jae to see that she had slit her hand, from the part in between her thumb and pointer finger to her wrist. The cut wasn't very deep, but at the moment, there was a lot of blood coming from it.

"Jae," Thais said quietly, so not to scare her. "Why didn't you scream for me?" Jae was standing at the sink washing out her cut. She winced slightly every time the water touched the wound.

"I didn't think it was important." Jae shrugged and tried to make her winces less noticeable.

"How could you not think this is important? Or at least scream? Didn't it hurt?" Thais grabbed Jae's wrist and dragged her out of the kitchen.

"It didn't hurt much. And I've never been one for screaming." She followed him without question up the stairs and into a bathroom. Thais picked her up and placed her on the counter in between the two sinks. He pulled out a tube of anti-biotic and some bandages.

He began dabbing the ointment on her cut. "You don't have to be brave. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's whatever." Thais finished bandaging her cut and Jae went back to making lunch.


End file.
